Investigator named to probe claims against Bishop

BY JAMES BREIG
EDITOR

The Albany Diocese's Review Board has named Mary Jo White, a prominent New York City lawyer and former U.S. attorney, as the independent investigator to look into allegations of sexual misconduct against Bishop Howard J. Hubbard.

Bishop Hubbard has said that "I will have nothing whatsoever to do with the Review Board investigation except to provide the Review Board or its investigator with any information or record they request from me; and, as I have repeatedly said, I am willing and eager to take a polygraph examination."

Ms. White is chair of the 222-lawyer litigation group of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in Manhattan.

Independent exam

When the allegations were first made two weeks ago, the Bishop firmly denied them, vigorously asserted his innocence and vowed to clear his name.

As part of that effort, the Diocese initially asked Albany County District Attorney Paul Clyne to look into the claims and also referred the matter to the Review Board for investigation. The Review Board was created in 1993 with the responsibility of investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against priests.

After he examined the issues, Mr. Clyne said that the claims did not involve criminal activity and were beyond the statute of limitations. He also noted that the only evidence of either claim is an unsigned, undated, typewritten letter which "is hearsay and not admissible in any court proceeding."

Respected attorney

According to the law firm's website, Ms. White was the first and only woman to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In that role, she oversaw more than 200 attorneys with the responsibility of enforcing the federal criminal and civil laws of the nation.

Under her leadership, as noted on her firm's website, the U.S. Attorney's Office "investigated and prosecuted numerous cases of national and international significance."

For example, her office prosecuted Bankers Trust Company for earnings management-related offenses; Republic New York Securities Corporation for securities fraud; members of organized crime (including John A. Gotti); those responsible for the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993; those responsible for the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, including Osama Bin Laden; and the investigation of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

The Diocesan Insurance Fund will pay for the investigation, as it pays for all investigations of allegations against other priests. The final report will be made public.

(2/19/04) [[In-content Ad]]